Weft-supplying mechanism for automatic weft-replenishing looms.



E. S. STIMPSON. WEET SUPPLYING MEGHANISM PoR AUTOMATIC WEET RBPLENISHING LooMs. APPLICATION FILED JAN.21, 1909. v 923A5'7, Patented June 1, 1909.

5 SEBBTS-SHBBT 1.

Edward/SSwpson E. S. STIMPSON.

WEET SUPPLY'NG MBUHANISM FOR AUTUMATIG WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.21, 1909. 923,457. Patented June 1,1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. S.,ST1MPS0N. WEFT SUPPLYING MEGHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WEFT EPLENISHING LOOMS.

' APPLICATION FILED JAN.21.1909.

923,457. Patented June 1, 1909.

5 SHBET'S*SHBET s.

F is. lag

Jwngr: Edward S. Sb/1 son B. S, STIMPSON. WEFT SUPPLYING MEGHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN.21,1909.

923,457,` Patented June 1, 1909.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 4l 37 FGQ 5.

E. S. STIMPSON. WBPT SUPPLYING MBGHANISM PoR AUTOMATIC WBFT. REPLBNISHING LooMs.

APPLICATION IILD JAN.21, 1909.

Patnted June 1 Fica. 7.

A To all whom it may concern.'

'UNITED sTATirs TEN Y FEICE;

EDWARD s. sTIMPsoN, OF HOPEDALE, MAssAoHUsETTs, AssiGNon To naAPER COMPANY,

or HOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION or MAINE,

ivErT-snrrnvine MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC wEF'r-REPLENISHING Looms.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1, 190e.

Application filed January 21, 1909. Serial No. 473,514.

Be' it known that I, EDWARD S. STiMPsoN,

aresident of Hopedale, in the countyT ofl Worcester and State of ilassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful ImproveJi mentsin Wett-Sn plying Mechanism for Automatic Weit-Rep enishing Looms, of which the following is a s 'eoification v The object of t e present improvements is to provide Jan automatic weft-replenishing loom with a magazine containing spare weft-carriers 'which shall have largecapacity as compared with the magazines which are now inycommercial use. This large maga- 'zme'lnvolves special means' for taking. care of nthe weft ends and the present improveinentsconsist also in the means' for so doing.

One embodiment of the present improvements is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which: y

Figure 1, is zt side view of an `automatic Weft-replenisliing loom illustrating the present invention, only so much of the loom being shown as is necessary for an understanding ofthe invention. Fig. 2, is a side view of the lower part of the loom showing a portion ofthe magazine for spare weft-carriers. Fig. 3, is a top View of the weft-supplying mechanism. y Fig. 4, is a plan view, partly in horil zontal section, of the weft-supplying mechanism. Figs. 5, and 6, are side viewsof portions .of the weft-'su nlying mechanism showing the parts in difl"L Fig.' 7, is a vertical 'cross-section in the plane indicated by the line 7-7 in Fig. 3. Fig. 8, is a vertical cross-section in the plane indicated by the line 8-8 in Fig. 8.

holder.

There is shown in Fig. '1 the transferrer A i which 1s employed in the well-known Draper loom (as shown, for example, in United f States Letters Patent No. 529,940, November 27, 1894,) and which acts in its wellknown way to perform its functional movements whenei-er the exigencies o'r' the loom require the replenishment ofthe weft.` As is customary in the Draper loom, and as' erent periods of action.`

Figs. 9, l0 and 11 are detailed views of the weft-end shown in F ig. 5, to that shown in Fig. 6, thereby transferring a weft-carrier B into the shuttle C and concurrently ej ecting the spent weft-carrier downwardly from the shuttle. These figures simply illustrate the position which the shuttle approximately occupies 'at I the instant of transfer; nothing more of the f known parts of the loom being shown on account of the well-known character of this operation. l Y

The present improvements include (l)A a spare' weft-carrier magazine of large capacity; (2) a magazine to the transferring position; (3)121 feeder which transfers the weit-carriers one .by one from the magazine to the chute and moves the weft-carriers along the chute; and (4) means for, holding on to the weftends throughout their occupancy of both `magazine and chute and until each weit-carrier in turn is transferred into working position -in the loom. The improvements will be described seriutim.

Magazines-The magazine is a fiexible belt D, which is shown as an endless belt of any desired length butwhich need not be endless but may be of indefinite length. The upper portion of the endless belt 1s shown in big. l, and the lower portion in Fig. 2.- Withln reasonable limits, the belt may be as lon as desired. It is intended, however, thatgthe belt should be long enough to carry enough spare weft-carriers to feed the loom for an entire day, thus enabling the re lenishment of the magazine to be effected w en the mill i is shut down. The belt passes around two pulleys 2O and 21, the lower pulley being idle and the upper pulley being the driving Epulley for moving the belt. The belt is equipped with appropriate open-mouthed retainers E for the respective weft-carriers. The illustrated belt is made oi leather and the several retainers are made of elastic wire so as to grasp and hold the weft-carriers atv i their middles as shown in the drawings. Each wire retainer is secured to the belt 1y a cross-plate 22 which is riveted to the be t as shown in Figs. land 7. This construction does not interfere with the flexibility of the belt nor with the firm grip which each I retainer has upon its weft-earner.

The belt magazine is moved step`"by step j by the rotation of the driving pulley 2f) in the l direction indicated by the arrow in 1.

guide-chute leading from vthe Y The advance movement ol the belt is derived. from a Weight 23 and cord 24 extending therefrom over idle pulley 25 to a drum26 to which it is fastened. rlhis drum is concentric with the upper belt pulley 20, as show'n in Fig. 4i. This drum has a series of ratchet teeth 7 cooperating with a sprin pressed paWl 28 which is pivoted to the be t pulley 20. Accordingly, as the Weight 23 descends, it rotates the belt pulley 20 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. l. Normally, the magazine belt is prevented from movement because one of the weftcarriers which is supported byit conies in contact with iiXed stops 29 and 30, as shown in Fig. 7. The weft-carrier butt encounters the stop 29 While theWeft-carrier tip' encounters the stop 30. Hence, the magazine belt is normally held stationary by one of the weft carriers which it holds. This stopped weft-carrier is in position to be transferred to the guide-chute which leads to the transferring point, and, for identification, it will be called the active Weit-carrier. As soon as this active weft-carrier is transferred to the guide-chute, the Weight 23 causes the magazine belt to advance until the next lower and succeeding weft-carrier on the magazine encounters thestops 29 and 30.

^..ccordiiigly, the magazine is advanced step by step by the Weight as the weft-carriers are successively removed from the magazine. ln case the Weight re uires rewinding, the drum 26 can be turned acliwardly by hand, during which movement the paWl 23 rides idly over the ratchet teeth 27. The magazine belt is held l'roin concurrent backward movement by means of a gravity paWl 31 which is pivoted to a fixed part of the loomk and engages reversely arranged ratchet teeth 3.2 (Figs. l, 3 and et) on the belt pulley 20. rihis arrangement also permits the. movenient of the belt by hand Without moving the weight when it is desired to re-fill the niagazine. The magazine is very easily and readily supplied with weft-carriers by simply pressing them into the yielding retainers E. To facilitate getting the weft-carriers in the right places in the retainers a fixed guideplate 33 is employed 'along a ortion of the pathway of the belt against w iich the butts of the weft-carriers are thrust as they are inserted.4

Guide-c7mte.-A guide-chute leads from the neighborhood of the magazine stops 29 and 30 to the transfer oint as indicated in Figs. 4, 5, vand .6. his guide-chute, as shown, extends horizontally. It comprises a guide F for the butts of the weft-carriers and a guide G for their tips. yAs best shown in Fig: 8, the butt guide FA embraces the weftcarrier butts sufficiently to prevent any substantial longitudinal movement of the weft carriers While at the saine time permitting the free entrance of the weft-carrier butts thereinto and free movement of the weftcarriers along the guide-chute. The tip guide G supports the tips of the weft-carriers, thereby maintaining the weft-carriers in horizontal position during their occupant-f.' of

the guide-chute. Tlietip guide, also, has certain peculiarities in connection -u'ith the Welt-end holders which will be referred to when that subject isconsidered. The Weltcarriers are advanced along the guide-chute F, G, until the forward weft-carrier occupies the critical or transferring position beneatli the transferrer A, shouii in Fig. At this point the forward. treft-carrier is free from the guide-chute. its butt 'is supported by the fixed stop 34 and the `spring-pressed yielding stop (Fig. 5), While its tip is sup.-v

ported by the customary 'spring-pressed yielding finger lli-Then weft-replenishment is demanded, the trans'leirer A swings downwardly, thus forcing the forward weftl addition, the active weft-carrier is transferred from the magazine belt into the guidechute While the magazine belt moves forward one step, bringiig a fresh weft-:;aiiier against the stops 29 and 30.

l'lcfz. carrier /`eede1.-This transfer of the active weft-carrier from the magazine belt to the guide-chute and the advance of the `weftcairiers in the guide-chute is effected an automatic feeder l-l.' rlhis feeder is pivotally connected at 37 to an upwardly extending arm 33 which is rigidly connected with the transferrer A so as to swing therewith. When the transferrer swings down to effect a trans-v fer the feeder is moved backuardly as sliomi in Fig. 6. When the transferrer again rises the feeder is moved forward. The feeder is forked 'and hooked at its rear end as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, thus `providing two hooks 39 l' adapted to engage the active weft-carrier at two different parts of its length. Then the :feeder is'inoved to the rear from the normal position shown in Fig. 5, the beveled lower faces of its rear hooks ride upon andl over ythe' adjacent active weft-carrier on the magazine belt. The hooks pass behind the active weft- `carrier, whereupon the hooks drop down back of this weft-carrier as shown in Fig. 6. Then, When the transferrer aseends the feeder is drawn forward, thus vpulling the active weft-carrier from the magazine belt forwardly into the guide-chute F, G, and, at the same time, jforcing forward the series of weft-carriers occupy ing the guide-chute until the forward weft-carrier comes against the Iyielding stop 35.

Certain details ofthe feeder are important. As shown 1n Figs, 5 and, the feeder is com'- `eseld of twov telescoping parts held together .y a spring 40. Thisspring yields in case of the occurrence of any contingency which might be apt to cause breakage; The feeder is maintained in. its normal position by grav ity. The action of' gravity, l'roweyer, niay be too sluggish to cause the feeder hooks to promptly descend when back of the active weft-carrier in the magazine belt. To insure the prompt descent of the feeder hooks at this time, there are provided two, springpressed plnngers I, I, best shown in Fig. 7, which are directly above the two feeder hooks 39. These plungers are normally out of `contact with the hooks as shown in Figs. 5 and 7; but, when the hooks rise in passing back of the active weft-carrier in the niagazine belt, they come in contact with these plnngers, lifting them, and compressing their springs, so that the hooks are `quickly Y pressed down when they get back of the active weft-carriers.

Talrmg care of wQft-ends.'-Each weft-carrier 1s provided with its own detachable weftend holder J which in its broad aspects is similar toy` the weft-end holder of United States Letters Patent No. 860,703 of Melvin L. Stone, July 23, 1907. In the present instance, however, the holder J is provided with yielding fingers 41 vwhich enter the central bore .of a weft-carrier and yieldingly retain the holder on the tip end of the weftcarrier. -A thread-slot 42 permits the passage of the weft-end to the outwardly extending thread stud 43, thereby keepin the thread away from the exterior of the ho der J so that there is no danger of any rubbing of the thread. These thread holders retain the' weft-ends throughout the occupancy of the weft-carriers of their positions 1n the niagazine and the guide-chute and until the weftcarriers are transferred into weaving position in the loom. It is necessary, however, that each weft-endrholder should be detached side the chute.

from its weft-carrier prior to the transfer of the weft-carrier to the loom; but, that said holder should hold onto the weft-end during the first traverse of the transferred weftcarrier through the shed. For this purpose thegtip guide G of the guide-chute is provided with a ca1n-frach K, which is best shown in Figs. 4 and 8, this cani-track extending alongtransferre'd from the magazine belt to the guide-chute its weft-end holder enters the mouth of this cam-track. Then, as the weftearrier is advanced step by step along the guide-chute its weft-end holder is cannned gradually outwardly, as shown in Fig. 4,

until it' is wholly separated from its weftcarrier when the. weft-carrier reaches the transferring position, At this polnt, how ever, the' weft-end holder stlll occupies a ".'lf'hcn a weft-carrier 1sl definite relation to its weft-carrier and maintains4 its hold on the thread so that the thread is drawn out during the first passage of the transferred fresh weft-carrier through the shed. After a transfer has been effected, the detached weft-end holders are shoved Gradually ahead by those in the rear until they reach the forwardv end of the canietrackl K whence they drop into any suitable recepv tacle. overlies the cani-track K and its flange 44 is correspondingly cam-shaped so as to facili-v tate the detachment of the holders from the carriers, This cap also prevents any undue rising of the weft-end holders. rlhis camniing action can not move the weft-carriers themselves endwise to any substantial extent by reason ofthe 1outt guide F which embraces A flanged cover L (Figs. 1, 3 and 8) the butts sufficiently for this purpose as shown'in Fig. 8.

.lt is desirable that there should be' sonic slack thread available between the weftcarrier and the weft-end holder when the weft-carrier is transferred to the lay, and this can `be provided by laying the weft-end in a loo a on the body of weft, as indicatedl at body of the weft to the holder J.

1. An autoniatirl weft-replenishing lo'om having, in combination, an endless flexible belt having a plurality of open-mouthed yielding retainers, each for la weft-carrier having a detachable weft-end holder at its tip; a weight. acting to nieve said belt in one direction; rfixed stops which engage the active weft-carrier on the belt and thereby prevent forward movement of the belt; a.

guide chute leading from the belt to the transfer point; a earn-track alongside the.A

guide chute and engaging the weft-end holders, said cam-track extending beyond the` transferring point; a transferrer for transferring a weft-carrier into weaving position; and a feeder operatively connected with the transferrer, and acting to feed the 'weft-carriers one by one from the belt to the guide chute and to feed the weft-carriers along the guide chute to .the 'transfer point, during which feeding movement along the guide T45, in fig. 8; this loop extending fron-ifthe chute the cam-track removes the weft-end holders from the weft-carriers.

2. An automatic. weft-replenishing looin from the belt to the the weft-carriers-eleng the guide eliu tete the I transfer point.

3. An automatic Weftl-replenisliing' loom having', in eoniliinatioi'i, e, belt having a pluralitj,T ol' retainers eaeli for weft-carrier; means acting to advance said belt; fixed stops which' engage the active weft-carrier ony the belt and therebyv prevent forward movetlie belt; e guide eliute leading from the belt to tlie transfer point; a trensfeirer lfor trausferriiie' a Welt-carrier into weaving position; end e 'feeder acting' to feed the weftearriers one by one from the-belt to the l5 guide chute and to leed the weft-eaiiiei's along; the guide eliute to tlie transfer point.

4. An automatic wel`t-repleiiisliing leoni havingv1 in combination, a ii'iegazlne carrying a pluralitif of Wett-carriersineens acting to move said magazine step j-step at each transfer of a Weft-earrier into weaving position; a guide cnute leading from the magazine to tlie transfer point; a transferrer for trane-` fei'ring a weft-carrier into weaving position;

and a positively aetuateil 'feeder acting t0 leedjlie weft-carriers one by one from the magazine to tliegiiifle chute ano to feed the welt-carriers alongr the `guide eliute to the transfer point. A

5. An automatic \i'el'treplenisliing leoni having, in combination, a flexible magazine having a plurality of retainers, eac-li fe a weft-carrier; e Weight acting to nieve said magazine forward; fixed stops .vliieli engage tlie active Weftmerrieis on the magazine and theieoj..Y prevent foi-Ward movement of the magavuxie; and a feeder acting to feed the `havingp a (letzte-liable Weftend holder et weft-end holders from guide eliute and to feed weft-carriers one l \fone from the magazine having', iii combination, a ineffable magazine carrying a 'Joliiralit5vr of weft/warriors, each tip; e guide chute leading 'from the magazine to the transfer point; cani-tradi; along engaging the the guide Chute and holders; a jtiaiisferrei for wrangler carrier into weaving poeifon; aii

Weit-emi tively ae Jiiated :fee acting to feed weft-carriers one by one from tlie ii to the guide chiite end to feed the rie-rs along the guide oliiite to the noint, during 'vraieli feeding; inoeine the froide eliutetlie y eairie en epienieliiiie' leem in combination, a guide eliut'e for 7. An automatic weft-L having, weft-carriere, eaeli having a eleL end holder at its tio a esi-metia holders; a traneferi carri into Weaving posi' tively actuated feeder acting to iifei-"t-earrers along the guide eliute to transfer point, cliii'iiig iif'liieli eeing i n ment the eaiii-treelremoves the Weit-eral holders from. the wet-earriers- En e'itness .vliereely l have lie-remito signed. my naine in gre iireeee-ee o? two eiiloeerioiiigjz Witneeeee. v f, .,l

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